Beaufort County Council still split on Bluffton Gateway proposal

Beaufort County Council advanced on Monday a proposal to build a large shopping center in greater Bluffton, but still wants questions answered before it gives the plan final approval.

Council voted 6-5 in favor of a proposal by Atlanta area-based Jaz Development, LLC, to build two or more undisclosed big-box stores on about 66 acres of land near the intersection of U.S. 278 and Bluffton Road. The project is being referred to as Bluffton Gateway.

Several council members said they are satisfied with Jaz’s stormwater drainage plan for the site, which Beaufort County stormwater management director Eric Larson said this month meets several of the county’s best management practices. Still, others on council feel the proposal does not go far enough to protect natural resources in the area.

After the plans received council approval on first reading in October, a change in the development agreement that allowed for a higher percentage of impervious surfaces on the site sent it back to a council subcommittee.

The county recommends in its best management practices manual that commercial sites have no more stormwater runoff than the equivalent of 10 percent of the property containing impervious surfaces — areas that water cannot penetrate. Jaz’s latest plan includes runoff control features such as rain gardens and retention ponds that would reduce the equivalency rate to 14.4 percent.

Reducing the amount of impervious surfaces, such as asphalt and pavement, would aid in preventing rainwater from running off the property and polluting local waterways, especially the nearby Colleton River.

Though the 10-percent figure is a goal and not a requirement, councilman Gerald Dawson said the county should stick to the number.

“We’ve spent a lot of time, money and resources trying to clean up our waterways in that part of the county and make them acceptable,” Dawson said. “For us to lower those standards as far as impervious surfaces go would be a step in the wrong direction. Even if (10 percent) is just a goal, it’s in our best interest to stay with that.”

Despite not meeting the county’s targeted goal for the percentage of effective impervious surface, Larson said the proposal does satisfy state and federal criteria for reducing such surfaces to the “maximum extent practical.” That means, as Jaz developer David Oliver and attorney Walter Nester have argued, Jaz would not be able to lower the percentage any more while still remaining cost-effective.

Larson also said having 14.4 percent with runoff reduction features in place is better than having 10 percent or less and no runoff features.

That point caused some council members to vote in favor of the proposal.

“I’m not sure how realistic 10 percent is right now,” councilman Jerry Stewart said. “If we’re capturing all the runoff and solving the pollutant problem, we’re meeting the intent of our stormwater ordinance. I’m in favor of protecting our waterways, but we can’t impose unrealistic constraints and restrictions that stymie economic growth in the area.”

Councilman Brian Flewelling, who chairs council’s natural resources committee, said that committee will likely hold a meeting about the proposal in the next two weeks for council to ask staff, the developer and environmental officials in the area more questions.

Council chairman Paul Sommerville, who voted against the proposal Monday, said he still has concerns about the percentage figure.

“I’m comfortable with what our engineers have said, but if we’re going to go over 10 percent with the understanding some of these (reduction features) will be in place, we need to have some assurances they’re going to remain in place,” Sommerville said. “We need to have some guarantees that the maintenance of those features will continue.”

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has it occurred to anyone in local government the impact of having large box retail stores on small local business. Obviously not. Can someone please explain to me the need to have more repeat retail on hwy 278. When does it stop, when there is no more forest land anyone to be seen all the way to interstate 95. Does Bluffton really want its community to look like every other overcrowded town on the east coast. What happened to "Bluffton the heart of the low country" why not just change the tag to read, "Welcome to Bluffton, the fort lee of the south" People from all over have come to Bluffton to get away from that look and the over crowded conditions. They came here for what the low country brings to the table. A courteous community with a deep respect for history and now your willing to change that for a reason I cannot understand. If you want Bluffton to look like Long Island or Jersey City or Baltimore than the local politicians are taking this beautiful community in the wrong direction

You can't figure out the reason they are doing this?
I'll give you the main reason.........$$$.

Our elected officials are greedy to increase tax revenue here. They are making the same mistake every small town makes by thinking that growth pays for itself in increased tax revenue - but it NEVER DOES. We are going to see our local tax rates skyrocket if we don't change the people we have in elected office in both Town and County, and our BC school board is a DISASTER. They just got done crying because they came up $4 million dollars short (blamed on reassessment instead of their incompetence) and then they turn around and promise almost $2 million for a pro-growth project that they all refuse to tell us anything about! Same goes for Hardeeville and Jasper. In fact, I would say that they wrote the book on incompetence and corruption, but Bluffton isn't far behind.
We have a bunch of greedy politicians that want to expand their tax base and grow this area into something the majority of the residents moved to get away from. Our Mayor is a realtor for cryin' out loud, of course she wants growth!

People need to get off their butts and VOTE around here. A 10% turnout and not paying attention to what's going on is going to kill this area.
Before you know it, paradise is going to be turned into pavement and we will only have ourselves to blame.

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